By Andy Walter

LEWES — If Woodbridge High is supposed to be the underdog in this rivalry, somebody forgot to tell the Blue Raiders.
For the third straight game, Woodbridge stood toe-to-toe with mighty Cape Henlopen.

And for the second time, the 10th-seeded Raiders knocked off the Vikings, rallying to topple the No. 7 Vikings, 47-41, in the third round of the DIAA girls’ basketball state tournament on Friday night.

The loss snapped an 18-game winning streak for Cape (16-1) and was just its second setback in the last 34 games. Both those losses came against Woodbridge (13-3).

The Raiders’ victory also sets up an unlikely quarterfinal matchup on Monday with Woodbridge hosting No. 18 Delmarva Christian at 6:30 p.m. The Royals stunned No. 2 Conrad, 47-45, on Friday night.

Woodbridge just lost to the Vikings, 37-36, on Saturday on a last-minute basket in the Henlopen Conference championship game. So the Raiders came into the rematch with plenty of confidence.

“When the game comes down to (the final) 30 seconds, there’s not a reason to not have confidence in yourself,” said Woodbridge coach Isaiah Robinson. “We knew we could play with them. The thing was, who was going to execute and who was going to make the most mistakes down the line? We were able to take care of the ball.”

“Our focus level was definitely different,” said senior Cha’Kya Johnson. “We remained disciplined. ... We didn’t let our heads get out of the game. And we told ourselves that we were going to win it.”

Cape never trailed in the first 23 minutes on Friday night. The Vikings went up as many as nine points in the first half and by seven in the third quarter.

But Woodbridge grabbed hold of the momentum late in the third quarter. With Cape up 30-23, sophomores Payton Keeler and De’Asya Jones sank back-to-back three-pointers to get the Raiders within one.

After the two teams traded baskets, Janeira Scott drove the lane for a basket just before the end of the third quarter.

The basket gave Woodbridge its first lead at 33-32. The Raiders never trailed again.

Leading only 36-35, another three from Jones started a 9-2 Woodbridge run that left the Raiders with a more-comfortable 45-37 advantage with only 45 seconds left.

That lead grew to as much as 47-38 before the Vikings sank a three-pointer with 12 seconds on the clock to account for the final score.

“I felt like we had to get them back,” said Jones. “We were here to win. Our coach was encouraging us, telling us to keep our heads up.”

Johnson finished with a team-high 17 points with Jones hitting three big second-half three-pointers to collect 11 of her 13 points in the second half.

“The way we coach, everybody’s got to be ready to step up when it’s their turn,” said Robinson. “At the time we needed it, she (Jones) stepped up and hit some big shots. She’s just a phenomenal player.”

It was another tough ending for the Vikings, who reached the state semifinals last March only to have the tournament ended prematurely by the pandemic. Mehkia Applewhite tallied a game-high 21 points, with five three-pointers, while Morgan Mahoney added 11 points and three threes.

Destiny Kusen is the Vikings’ only senior.

The Vikings shot only 3-of-13 from the floor in the fourth quarter with four turnovers.

“We looked like we hadn’t been in that position before,” said coach Pat Woods. “We talk about maintaining poise and composure. And I thought we just lost that.

“I have no question about our effort. I thought our effort was fantastic — we were diving for loose balls. But you could see the jitters on little shots. That’s the funny thing about experience. It hurts when you get it.”

After the game, Woods went over to Woodbridge’s players to compliment them — especially the Raiders’ three seniors — on everything they had accomplished.

“Those three girls have a .800 winning percentage, they’ve got four division titles, they’ve got a conference championship and now they’re going to the quarterfinals,” said Woods. “I just wanted them to know that that’s pretty special. ... I just wanted them to know it was recognized beyond their own community.”